One of the main focuses of this series, which is set between 1848 and 1851, is the marriage of Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and Albert (Tom Hughes), which wasn’t all plain sailing around this time.

While it’s known that Victoria was very much in love with Albert, and remained in mourning for the rest of her life following his death in 1861, their marriage wasn’t without difficulties either.

So just what was going on during the time in which this series is set?

What problems did Queen Victoria have during her marriage?

Victoria and Albert had been married for eight years by 1848, and by this point they were already parents to five children – Victoria, Albert Edward, Alice, Alfred and Helena – while Victoria was pregnant with her sixth child, daughter Louise.

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However Victoria did not enjoy being pregnant, hated breastfeeding and did not bestow affection on her children, instead thinking it her duty to be ‘severe’ – with some suggestion that she may have suffered from postnatal depression after many of her pregnancies.

Victoria was not fond of being pregnant, but bore nine children in total (Picture: Bettmann Archive)

And this is said to have caused difficulties between them, as Victoria spent so much of her time pregnant or recovering from being pregnant (she and Albert had nine children in total), with strong hints that the queen may have imposed a ‘sex ban’ on her marriage to avoid falling pregnant yet again.

She was also said to have resented Albert stepping in to take over her duties while she was expecting her children – and that Albert did not have a lot of sympathy for what her perceived postnatal depression.

An extract from one letter he sent to her a month after the birth of their youngest son, Leopold, in 1853, sees him complaining about Victoria’s ‘continuance of hysterics over a miserable trifle’.

Does this feature in the TV series?

The monarch was heartbroken after the death of Prince Albert (Picture: Getty Images)

Writer Daisy Goodwin has hinted that the ‘sex ban’ and Victoria’s resentment of constantly being pregnant is likely to feature.

‘She has six children in eight years – which is a lot – and there are some gaps, so I wonder whether there may have been some withholding on both sides; that’s certainly something I’m going to explore,’ she said ahead of the launch of series three.

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“She’s in this terrible double bind. She loves Albert and she loves going to bed with Albert. But every time he goes near her she gets pregnant. Obviously that suits him more than it suits her.”

When she’s pregnant he takes over her work. He’s the best maternity cover you can have – he’s rather too good at it.

‘She feels rather displaced. She doesn’t like the discomfort about being pregnant.’

When did Prince Albert die?

Albert is said to have died of typhoid, becoming ill in December 1861 (Picture: Getty Images)

The Prince passed away on 14 December 1861 aged 42, with his death most likely to have been caused by typhoid.

His loss plunged the Queen into deep mourning, wearing black for the remainder of her life and avoiding public appearances, her aversion further caused by the fact that her weight had increased through comfort eating – with her absence from public life strengthening calls for her to abdicate and for England to become a republic.

Victoria held her son Albert Edward – known as Bertie – responsible for Albert’s death, as shortly before he became ill they had received rumours that the prince had slept with an actress while visiting Ireland.

Albert subsequently travelled to Cambridge, where Bertie was studying at the time, to confront him over the rumours – and fell ill a short time later.

When is Victoria on?

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The series continues on ITV on Sunday night at 9pm.

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